Fixture.



L. SCHEPMOES.

FIXTURE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 3. IsIIs.

Patented Apr. 1,1919,y

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

L'. scHEPMoEs.

FIXTURE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3. |915.

1,299,042. Patented Apr. 1,1919.

y 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.v

i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.l

4.'IIINDSLIIEI'Y SCHEPMOES, OF HASBBO'UCK HEIGHTS, NEW ERSEY, ASSIGNQR- TO THE 'SAFETY GA3 HEATING & LIGHTING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JLEIRSEY.

FIXTURE.

y nacen-.12.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LINDSLEY SCHEPMOES, a citizen of -the United States, residing at Hasbrouck Heights,'in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fixl Atures, of which the following is a specification. Y, v

This invention has reference to supporting brackets or Iixtures and, particularly, has reference to a junction-box capable of supporting lamps and pendants of all kinds. Among the objects of my invention may be noted the following: to provide a simple,

inexpensive means for suspending lamps, electric bulbs and other pendentdevices from ceilings, walls, moldings and other structures, in series or individu-ally; to provide a junctionbox,-which may Ibe, employed also as a suspension means,-for conduits of various kinds and which is adapted to be joined t0 others in series; to rovid'e means by which -a plurality of light ures,

junction-boxes, supports or brackets may be rigidly coupled so as'to eliminate jar, vibration and rattlin of parts; to provide means -by which thejoint between parts of the structure at the junction-box may ibe sealed and made tight so as to eliminate possibility of sparking or short-circuiting; and to provide,`in connection with a structure, such as outlined in the foregoing, means for suspending the same in various positions, regardless of theform .or configuration of the supporting medium.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood, I have provided drawings l wherein:

Figure l is a sectional elevation of a structure embodying my invention, the figure being broken'in the middle `and at its Specification of Letterslatent. Patented Apr, 1, 1919, Application filed November 3, 1916. Serial No. 129,259. I A

such Ias shown at of Fig. 1;

, Fig. 6-is a front elevation of a coupling means embodying another form of my 1nvention; v l

' Fig. 7 is an end elevation of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a front elevation showing another embodiment of my invention; and

Fig. 10 is a sectional View showing another means for locking fthe coupling to the junction-box.. Y

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a lamp shade, 2 the shade-holder, 3' the socket for supporting the incandescent bulb 4, and 5 the socket support secured to the junction-box 6, through, the medium of a plate 7 secured iby screws 8 to the bottom of the junction-box, said platehaving the depending member 9, to` which the socket support 5 is secured by means of screws-10. These parts embody but one adaptationof my invention and are shown merely to illuseither the rightior left.

trate a use of the junction-box and are not I to -be taken asa limitation, variations of this portion of my invention bein hereinafter described with reference to t 'e drawings. The junction-box 6 may be secured inv place in any suitable way, as, for example, by means of the plates or ianges 11, shown in Figs. 1 and 5 extended substantially at a right-angle to each other and connected by the curved body-portion of the junctionbom-Fig. 5,-adap-ting the latter for application to molding, angles, or corners of walls of buildings, or -vehicles of various kinds, such as railway coaches, steamboats, etc.

The junction-box 6 is provided.- with the oppositely extending, internally'screw-threaded, tubular extensions 13 adapted to receive vthe externally screwthreaded,tubular cou'- plingsw 14, each oflwhich is providedjwith `asmootli socket-member 15, provided in- Aternallyywith a shoulder 16, against which the end of a conduit 17 is adapted to engage, the end ofthe conduit, of course, being limited in its entrance into the coup-ling by the.

said shoulder 16. Locknuts 18 are adapted to engage the screw-threads of the couplings, when deemed necessaryto lock the latter from rotary and endwise movement.

The` conduits 17 operate as connections `between pairs of junction-boxes or fixtures, or

between a fixture and a junction-box, which latter may be supported in any desirable position when the installation is of such charl acter las -to require,l in the series, rst aojunction-(boxes, or lixltures and junction-boxes-` in alternation; or the conduit may extend boxes.

from an outside connection to the' interior of v'a given structure or'vehicle and be coupled to junction-boxes or fixtures, as ex- ,Y a., i

Tn order to Vjoin a pair of fixtures, junction-boxes, etc., it will be understood that the junction-boxes are. set in positions desired by means of the flanges 11 and screws 11a passing therethrough; and the couplings 14 are then screwed back into the box suinciently -to leave only a small portion of the socket-member 15 thereof projecting beyond the box to'enable the same to be engaged by a wrench. Then the conduit 17 is out to the desiredlength, that is, of a length approximately the distance between the ends of the opposing members 15 of two adjacent A couple 'ofc lock nuts are then slipped over the conduit,` and the latter' is first supported by one end within the member j v 15 of one of the couplings, and then said cou* plings are screwed outwardly until the shouldersl beartightly against the ends of the conduit. The lock nuts 18 are `then screwed upon the coupling, as shown at the right and left of Fig'. 1, so as'to preventv the coupling from turning and shifting endwise.

Tf desired, a spring washer 19'may be fin- -serted in the vcoupling against the shoulder'.

16, as shown in Fig 2,*so that,- when the conduit 17 is set in p screwed to clamp the same, the washerwill vyield and tightly connect the coupling and conduit, and, during use, will, should any looseness occur between the couplings and` conduit, compensate for said looseness'and Aprevent rattling; This also provides for mistakesv incutting the conduit as to'length` or uneven or irregular ends, or in setting the brackets or boxes.

As shown in lFigs.3` and`4, the socketmember 15 of the coupling may have its in: ner surface tapered, as at 20, for engagement with a/spring o r compressible, wedgeshap'ed, 'split ferrule 21, the inner end of which has an internal iange 21a. In combinin the parts shown in Figs. 3 and 4f, the ferrua 21 1s compressed and set within 'the coupling socket- 15 in which it expands and `is lfrictioruiallyY held, and then the end of the conduit 17 is set within the ferrule against y its flange 21a. As the couplin is screwed i -outwardly to clamp the end o the conduit against the/shoulder 16, the ferrule is caused to wedge in the socket 15 more or less according to the adjustment. Thus, the connection betweenthe'coupling and the conduit is rendered rigid and made strong without screw-threads, and enables the partsto bece and the couplings are' tenacia-" made lighter. As shown in Figs. 1 and 5,` the coupling members areJ secured in tl1e` j unction-box slightly offset from the member 9. This is found convenient, since it provides more room for manipulating the coupling members and lock nuts. 'f

Tn Figs. 6, 7 and 8, T. have shown a form may be sealed` by a plate 25 secured by screws 26 or the construction shown in Figs. 1, 5 and 9 may be employed. ln Fig. 9, T have shown the plate 7 provided with the internally screw-threaded pipe-flange 27 for receiving the screw-threaded end of a pipesection or stem 28, to the lowerend of which any suitable form of supporting member 294 may be secured for attaching a lamp, bracket or any other device to be supported. Tn' this View, the junction-box may be secured 1n place by meansl of' ears or lugs 3() extending in the plane of one surface of the junction-A box, but at a right-angle to the couplings, instead of parallel to'said couplings and conduits, as in Figs. x6 to'l 8, inclusive. This form. of my inventin permits the couplings and conduits to be placed closer to thel supporting wall or ceiling 31, as will be readily understood.

In Fig. 10 T have shown another form/of simple means tor-locking the couplings 14 against rotary and endwise movement, the sameY consistlng in providing the outer, smooth end lfoeach coupling wvith alange 32, against which one `end of a coiled spring f 33 isada ted toi/.engage and be under compression tween the same and the body of the junctionbox' 6 about thetubular extension 13. Obviously, the pressure exerted by' the spring upon the couplings in a right'- l line direction parallel to its axis will cause the screw-threads 4thereof to 'bindtightly 'i K 115,

within the tubular member 13 of the junction-box 6; and the pressure of the spring will be more or less, according to the adjustment of the coupling 14.

. From the foregoing, it will be seen that I fhave produced a junction-box and coupling' .devices therefor capable of being joined in series and connecting a plurality of conduits adapted for various purposes andv which junction-boxes are also adapted for-support- Aing lamps, fans, and other devices by direct attachmentthereto, or through the medium of extensions connected therewith, or which may be used simply, as ya junction-box. Moreover, in the use of the said fixture 'or junction-box, I am `enabled to use much tion of fixtures, lwiring, etc., and provides tight joints throughout'which are not liable to jar or shake loose or become displaced accidentally.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In combination with a coupling having a smooth bore of varying diameter and an internal shoulder between vits ends, "a con duit adapted to enter the coupling at one end and cooperate with said shoulder, and resilient means located between the shoulder of the coupling and the end of the conduit for producing a tight joint by pressure exerted upon the end of the conduit.

2. vA junction-box having a chamber and ,two oppositely disposed extensions opening into said chamber, and also having'a plurality of angularly disposed plates for securing the box in place upon a support, said box also having means for supporting a coupling coperating fwith 'each of said extensions,

and said box also having a member coperating with said chamber'adapted to support a pendent device.

3. ln combination 'with a plurality of junction-boxes and means for securing the same in spaced-apart relation, a conduit for connecting the boxes, and coupling means between the b oxes and the conduit including a plurality of rotary devices` capable of rightline movements during theiI` rotation, wherel by tojoin thev boxes and the conduit, and means for lockingv the rotary devices from right-line movement.

LiNDsLEY soriEPMoEs. 

